Sharon Shoesmith was given a £679,000 payout by Haringey Council after a judge ruled she had been unfairly dismissed in 2011

Sharon Shoesmith, the head of Haringey's children's services during the Baby P scandal, has been awarded £679,000 after she claimed for unfair dismissal

Ms Shoesmith was sacked after a damning report into the death of Baby Peter in 2007 who was subjected to months of abuse.

Shoesmith won her unfair dismissal case in October and was awarded the payout, the terms of which Haringey Council kept confidential.

Now, thecouncil's accounts reveal she was awarded £679,452 in compensation, according to recently-released figures.

Miss Shoesmith was thrown out of her £133,000-a-year job as children’s services chief in the north London borough in 2008 on the instructions of then Labour Children’s Secretary Ed Balls.

She had presided over Haringey social workers while they failed to save the life of 17-month-old Peter Connelly.

The toddler died in 2007 after suffering months of abuse from his mother, her boyfriend and his brother, even though the family had been seen on 60 occasions by social workers, health workers and others.

In a statement, the local authority said: 'Following the decision of the Court of Appeal in favour of Ms Shoesmith, and the court's direction that the parties seek to resolve the issue of compensation, the London Borough of Haringey and Ms Shoesmith have reached a settlement in this case.

'The terms of the settlement are confidential. We are unable to comment further on this matter.'

A note in the accounts read: 'The settlement was reached following the decision of the Court of Appeal in favour of former Director of Children’s Services and the Court’s direction that the parties seek to resolve the issue of compensation.

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'Payments under the settlement agreement fell into three parts: payments of salary, fees & allowances (£377,266); payments for compensation for loss of office (£217,367) and payments of employer pension contributions (£84,819).'

Andy Silvester, of the Taxpayer's Alliance, said: 'Taxpayers will be outraged that somebody so close to an awful tragedy has received such a generous payout.

'It will leave a sour taste in the mouth to the residents of Haringey who were so badly let down by the Council. What happened to Baby P can never be allowed to happen again, and these sort of payouts should be consigned to history too.'

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Loss: Peter Connelly, the 17-month-old who died from his wounds after months of horrific abuse

When they payout was first announced, Ed Balls said it left a 'bad taste in the mouth'.

Now shadow chancellor, he told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'An independent report said there were disastrous failings in Haringey children's services.

'They said the management was at fault. Sharon Shoesmith was the director of children's services and so of course it leaves a bad taste in the mouth that the person who was leading that department and responsible ends up walking away with, it seems, a large amount of money.'

The
infant's Mother Tracey Connelly was jailed indefinitely in 2009, with a
minimum five-year tariff, for causing or allowing the toddler’s death,
along with her boyfriend Steven Barker and his brother Jason Owen, who
were convicted of the same offence.

She was let out in October following a second Parole Board review of her case, a move that even her own father condemned.

Tracey Connelly (left), the mother of the abused toddler and Steven Barker, her partner at the time of the death

Peter's
death caused widespread outrage, not only because of the horrific nature
of his injuries but because he was repeatedly let down by the social
services which were supposed to ensure his wellbeing.

Connelly
was first arrested in 2006 after a GP noticed bruises and scratches on
Baby Peter’s face and chest. He was consequently put in care, but
returned home just a month later.

The
child was later hospitalised following further abuse, and police were
told, but Haringey Council’s children and young people’s service
concluded that the ‘threshold to initiate care proceedings’ had not been
met.

Connelly was arrested again in May 2007, just three months before her son's death, but was not charged despite his injuries.

Baby Peter’s death came a day after he was taken to hospital, where a broken back and broken ribs are thought to have gone undetected by doctors.

At the time of his death he was also found to have had his fingers mutilated, while he had swallowed a tooth after being punched.

Following the tragedy, a full investigation into child protection services at Haringey Council was carried out, leading to Ms Shoesmith's dismissal.